第８２２堀：お船を出しましょう (Part2)
"I've confirmed the location. The water is deep enough further out, though I expect it will kick up a bit of a swell."
"Excuse me, Yuki-sama. What on earth are you..."
"We have our own ships, you see. We intend to use them to assist the Kingdom of Seasifo."
"I see. And where, pray tell, are these ships being brought in from? There have been no reports of foreign vessels approaching, and I certainly haven't seen any of you arriving with such craft..."
"Ah, I possess an ability called an 'Item Box.' I keep them stored inside."
"...I have never heard of an Item Box with the capacity to house a naval vessel."
"Well, just watch. Or rather, I’d like to, but first, may I have your permission to deploy them? I’d hate for them to be swarmed and vandalized the moment they appear."
"Hah. I suppose that much is... Messenger!"
And just like that, Chancellor Aquamarine granted Yuki his permission.
While I couldn't help but think, *oh dear, oh dear*, I knew that if we couldn't board that ship, we had no intention of tangling with the sea monsters anyway.
I watched the comedy Yuki was about to unfold, pondering these things.
Naturally, none of the others made a move to stop him.
They understood that this action was absolutely necessary for what was to come.
"Right then, here we go."
"...Hah, proceed."
The Chancellor’s comprehension seemed entirely unable to keep pace, and he gave a dazed, hollow response. Then—
*Whoosh.* A massive aircraft carrier materialized upon the surface of the water.
"Hah!?"
Chancellor Aquamarine let out a cry of shock at the sight of the vessel’s imposing grandeur, but as he watched the tsunami—small, perhaps, but a tsunami nonetheless—caused by the displacement of the ship’s sudden appearance, he snapped back to reality.
"Wait, what!? Evacuate!"
Though he had been stunned into a stupor, he was a man who lived by the sea; his instinct to order an immediate evacuation the moment he saw the wave was commendable.
Well, since Yuki and the rest of us were there, we simply used a barrier to neutralize the surge completely.
"..."
With the tsunami utterly nullified before their eyes, the Chancellor and his men stood in stunned silence. Ignoring their bewilderment, Yuki continued as if nothing had happened.
"I suppose it’s impossible to avoid a wave, no matter how quietly I deploy it."
"Yuki. You really didn't need to experiment with that here, you know."
"I had permission. I might as well make full use of it. Besides, there’s no damage done."
"Hah. You never change. Well, fine. How is the hull? Did it sustain any strange damage when you brought it out?"
"I need to check that, too. Let’s move. Chancellor Aquamarine, we are heading to that ship."
"Eh, eh, eh..."
This was business as usual for us, but for the people of the Kingdom of Seasifo, led by the Chancellor, the current situation was far beyond their ability to process.
Still, they had General Lake there to act as their anchor.
"Chancellor. And everyone, I believe it is best we follow Yuki-sama’s lead and board that ship. The soldiers nearby are already on edge due to the sudden appearance of such a massive vessel; we must be the first to prove that it is safe."
"Ah, yes, quite right. Messenger! That... ship... was provided by our guests. Issue a strict order: do not attack it. This is a joint order from General Lake and myself."
"Yes, sir!"
The messengers scrambled away in a panic.
But I wonder, will they make it in time?
Can a ship that size really just sit there and be ignored?
Well, it has its own defensive functions, so it won't be easily boarded by outsiders.
"Now then, let’s head over on this boat."
"...I don't understand. Since when was this ship here..."
Before they knew it, a cruiser had appeared before us, and we began to board it.
It was truly impressive that the Chancellor and his men, despite their utter confusion, continued to move forward and board the cruiser. It spoke volumes of their desperate desire to protect their homeland.
However...
*Vrooooom...!!*
"What is this!? Such speed! Are we... are we going to fall off!?"
"Please, sit down, Chancellor!"
It wasn't particularly fast for a standard screw-driven ship, but to the people of the Kingdom of Seasifo, it seemed like a terrifying velocity.
"Honestly, if they're this surprised by this, I wonder how they’ll react when they find out how fast the aircraft carrier goes?"
"Don't tease them too much. We have to get along with these people from here on out."
"I know, I know..."
I understood what Vilia was saying, but I felt that keeping them from being shocked after we boarded the carrier was going to be a tall order.
To be perfectly honest, I found this more troublesome than the prospect of fighting the sea monsters.
The thought that I would be the one tasked with looking after one of those aircraft carriers was enough to dampen my spirits.
In more ways than one...
Well, well. As you all know, this is still just the beginning.
How will the people of the Kingdom of Seasifo choose to act?
I am quite curious to see how things develop from here.
Oh? What about the sea monsters? Please, before that, we have to secure our own back—we have to ensure our allies are firmly in our grasp.